Keep only the digits
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Phone |
| 2 | (415) 555-0100 |
Formula: C2: =REGEXREPLACE(A2,"\D","")
Result: 4155550100
The backslash-D class means any non-digit; replacing it with nothing removes it.
Google Sheets function
REGEXREPLACE in Google Sheets
Google Sheets REGEXREPLACE takes exactly three arguments: the text, the regular expression and the replacement.
In Google Sheets
It uses RE2 syntax, which has no lookahead or lookbehind, and the same family includes REGEXMATCH and REGEXEXTRACT.
The arguments and common errors are covered in the REGEXREPLACE Excel guide; check the function help in Google Sheets for its own argument list.
Worked examples in Google Sheets
Collapse repeated spaces
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Text |
| 2 | a b c |
Formula: C2: =REGEXREPLACE(A2,"\s+"," ")
Result: a b c
Every run of whitespace becomes one space.
Swap with groups
| A | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Name |
| 2 | Lee, Ana |
Formula: C2: =REGEXREPLACE(A2,"(\w+), (\w+)","$2 $1")
Result: Ana Lee
The two captured words are written back in reverse order.
Try it
A tiny spreadsheet with example data. Edit the formula or any number and see the result.
Formula in D2: =REGEXREPLACE(A4,"\s+"," ")
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Text | Other | Result | |
| 2 | Alice Johnson | alice johnson | extra spaces | |
| 3 | [email protected] | [email protected] | ||
| 4 | extra spaces | |||
| 5 | SKU-2026-0415 | |||
| 6 | iced coffee, tea, sugar | |||
| 7 | Order 417 shipped |
Result in D2: extra spaces
Frequently asked questions
- Why does REGEXREPLACE fail with more than three arguments in Google Sheets?
- Sheets accepts only the text, the pattern and the replacement. The optional occurrence and case-sensitivity arguments belong to the Excel version.
- Can REGEXREPLACE use lookahead in Google Sheets?
- No. It runs on RE2, which leaves out lookahead and lookbehind; rewrite the pattern with groups instead.
Google Sheets is used here only as a descriptive product name. FormulaCamp is not affiliated with Google.